Army veteran Sam Brown easily secured the Republican nomination in Nevada’s Senate race Tuesday night, setting up a spirited battle against incumbent Democrat Jacky Rosen in what is expected to be one of the nation's most closely watched 2024 Senate races.

The outcome could determine control of the U.S. Senate. Rosen’s seat is considered the best pick-up opportunity for Republicans outside the red states of West Virginia, Montana, and Ohio. Senate Republicans only need to win two seats to hit the magic majority number of 51, but they can also regain control if they swing one seat and former President Trump wins back the White House with a GOP vice president stepping in to break any tied Senate votes.

Brown, who was nearly killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan that scarred his face, lost a primary two years ago to former state Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who ultimately fell in a hard-fought battle against Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. Laxalt lost by less than 1% in a contest in which the GOP was heavily criticized for failing to invest in a competitive early voting ground game.

Democrats have a natural ground-game advantage in Nevada, where the powerful Culinary Workers Union, representing tens of thousands of hospitality workers in Las Vegas and Reno, comes out in force to help with the final get-out-the-vote push. In 2014, Brown also ran an unsuccessful campaign for a seat in the Texas state legislature.

After Tuesday night’s primary win, Brown gave a sartorial nod to former President Donald Trump while exuding confidence about his chances in the general election.

“Thank you all for your support in this resounding victory tonight here in our primary,” Brown, dressed in a bright solid-red tie and blue jacket, said in a video on X.com. “It’s on to November, where we’re going to bring back accountability to D.C., we’re going to restore good leadership, and we’re going to have something to hope for.”

If the retired U.S. Army captain manages to defeat Rosen in November, he’ll likely be........

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